Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
The Kansas women's basketball will open its season Sunday against seventh-ranked North Carolina.
Friday November 13, 1998
SEE PAGE 3B
Kansas football
Offensive lineman Justin Glasgow has gone from walk-on to starter for the KU football team.
SEE PAGE 4B
Section:
College football
B
Page 1
The national title chase heats up this weekend with the top three teams facing top-notch talent.
SEE PAGE 6B
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Commentary
Basketball games spark childhood memories
I remember the first game I saw in Allen Field House.
Danny Manning was a freshman, and my dad had gotten four front-row tickets across from the Kansas bench.
I was 12-years-old and had never been to a big-time college basketball game, but I could sense the excitement in the air as we paid $3 to park and walked toward "The House that Phog Built."
Kansas beat Memphis State 75-71 that Feb. 9 evening, but I don't remember much about the play of Ron Kellogg, Greg Dreiling, Calvin Thompson or Cedric Hunter.
My brother and I were impressed that
My brother and I we fans could be so loud that we couldn't hear ourselves yell.
The next year, we got tickets again for a 89-78 win against Arkansas.
Since then, I've been to countless games and watched Jayhawk greats Richard Scott, Steve Woodberry and Jacque Vaughn.
But those two games were special
Mark
Fredrichs
sports@kansan.com
because we attended both of them with our dad.
Last Saturday, I sat on press row, even closer to the court than those tickets from the mid-80s, and I watched people file into the seats.
But it was the families who caught my attention — kids clutching an oversized soda in one hand and their dad's hand in the other.
Groups of two, sometimes three, people walked by. Older fans enjoying their retirement, younger fans reliving their not-so-distant undergraduate days and the students, en masse, filled the bleachers as the clock ticked down to tipoff.
I've seen it at the women's basketball games, too. Two years ago, my sister's high school basketball team watched Kansas beat Colorado during the annual "Fill-the-Field-House" promotion.
There's something about a game when you're a kid. As you watch the teams play, you can imagine yourself running up and down the court, stealing the ball, passing and scoring.
For kids, the game can be almost overwhelming with the flashy uniforms, the crush of people, the band, the cheerleaders and the noise.
But those are also the things children feed on — constant energy, rapid motion and stomping that crescendos louder than thunder.
We had listened to Max Falkenstien and Bob Davis call the games on the radio, but nothing prepared us for the size, speed and spectacle of the Jayhawks in person.
Our rural Bremen home is more than two hours from Lawrence. I'm sure we fell asleep in the car on the way home from those games, dreaming of basketball.
Fredrichs is a Bremen graduate student in journalism.
Longhorns gore Kansas volleyball
'Hawks lose in three despite solid defense
By Laura Bokenkroger
Kansan sportswriter
It took only three games, but it was quite a battle.
Although the Kansas volleyball team lost to No. 12 Texas 16-14, 15-5 and 15-11 last night at Allen Field House, middle blocker Amanda Reves said that the Jayhawks never gave up.
"We displayed more confidence," Reves said. "We had nothing to lose in this game."
Kansas' defense kept the score close in two of the games, and coach Ray Bechard said he was proud of the improvement his team showed from
Junior middle blocker Amanda Reves attempts to block Texas 'Erin Aldrich's spike. Reves led the Jayhawks with 12 kills and three solo blocks. Photo by Dan Elavsky/KANSAN
a week ago.
Compared to collecting 22 digs in a losing effort at Texas Tech last week, the Jayhawks posted 70 digs against the Longhorns last night. Right-side hitter Nancy Bell paced the Jayhawks, collecting a career-best 19 digs.
The Jayhawks also recorded just one fewer team block than Texas, one of the premier blocking teams in the nation.
"We were out-blocking them until the last block of the game," Bechard said. "If you tell me we out-block them and dig more balls than them, I know we're in the game. They just had the athleticism that allows them to make the plays that win the game."
The Jayhawks jumped ahead 12-8 in the first game behind the efforts of Reves and setter Laura Rohde. Texas battled back to pull even at 12 each, but the Jayhawks didn't let up.
The Jayhawks reached game point first but could not finish it off. Several times this season, the Jayhawks have lost games when they were one point away from a victory.
"We just need to break through," said outside hitter Mary Beth Albrecht. "We just need to see what it's like to do it. We're right there. We just need to make it happen."
Texas dominated the second game. They pulled ahead 10-5, and the Jayhawks never recovered.
Despite falling behind 5-1, the Longhorns quickly pulled ahead 14-5. One point away from being swept, the Jawhacks refused to give up.
"We were relentless," Rohde said. "They were serving for match point a couple of times, and we didn't crack under the pressure. We played defense and stayed in there."
The Jayhawks dropped to 14-13 overall and 4-11 in the conference after the loss.
"We have a day to prepare and get organized, which is good," Bechard said. "Texas A&M is a quicker team, and they are better in transition, but it's another top 25 team."
'Hawks to open regular season vs. Gonzaga
Bechard said that the Jayhawks match at 7:30 tomorrow night at home against Texas A&M would be a challenge to get ready for in one day.
Bv Erin Thompson
Kansan sportswriter
After the bad luck of several players getting injured before the season began, the Kansas men's basketball team hopes opening the season on Friday the 13th will bring good fortune.
The No. 8 Jayhawks open the regular season at 7:05 tonight against Gonzaga at Allen Field House. They are confident after fine-tuning in two exhibition games.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said he was more assured about the team than he was before the exhibition games, especially after defeating the Geelong Supercats 140-78.
"I'm still not real confident," Williams said. "You have to understand that group (Geelong) was ready to take a 30-hour trip
The Starting Lineup
KANSAS
JAYHAWKS
GONZAGA
BULLDOGS
Allen Field House • Lawrence 7:05 p.m.
TV: Ch. 3, 13 and 62
Radio: 105.9 FM, 1320 AM
CASEY OALVAN
BICHIE ERAHM
No one is taking Gonzaga lightly around the field house. The Bulldogs are defending champions of the West Coast Conference and averaged 122 points in their two exhibition games — one of which was a win against an alumni team that included Utah Jazz star John Stockton.
AXEL DENCH
6-11 JR.
to get back home. But a week ago, I didn't think we could score 140 points against anyone. I was pleased with our defensive effort; it was there much more than it was the first night. Our attention to detail was much better than it was at Saturday night's exhibition."
AXEL DENCH
"It's not the opener you'd like to have," Williams said. "The opener you'd like to have is a team that scores 150 points that's not very disciplined, but that's not what we're going to find here."
Senior guard Ryan Robertson said Williams warned the team not to take Gonzaga lightly, words team members heard not long ago from the coach.
"We're playing a very, very good basketball team," Robertson said. "Williams) said we need to have two really good days of practice because this team is very good. I remember specifically the last time he warned us about a team was Rhode Island, and we all know what happened there. So right away, immediately in my mind, I have an exclamation mark about this team coming in here."
To be successful, the Jayhawks will have to guard the Bulldogs tightly outside the three-point line. The Bulldogs have shot 69 three-pointers during their two exhibition games and made 54 percent.
Williams said Gonzaga had two impressive outside shooters in Matt Santangelo and Richie Frahm. Santangelo, a junior guard, led the Bulldogs in scoring last season, averaging 16.2 points. Frahm, a junior forward, adds outside firepower. He hit 76 three-point shots last season.
Guard Ryan Robertson looks for someone to pass to. The man play at 7 tonight at Allen Field House. Photo by Roger Neman/KANSAN
Playing point guard for the Jayhawks will be freshman Jeff Boschee. Boschee scored 21 points and led the team against Geelong, with only one basket in the second half. Boschee will be the first freshman point guard to start the season opener since Jacque Vaughn started
against Western Michigan on Nov. 17, 1993.
Vaughn will be on hand to see Boschee make the start. Vaughn, Paul Pierce and Raef Frentz will be inducted into the
Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame at halftime. The Jayhawks have not lost a home season opener since 1972 and hope to build on the nation's longest home-court winning streak: 60 games.
Cross country team optimistic as it gears up for regional
By Brad Hallier
It has been a tough year for the men's and women's cross country teams, but both have one more chance to erase any disappointment from the 1998 season.
Kansan sportswriter
The women will race at noon tomorrow at the Midwest Regional in Wichita. The men race at 12:45 p.m.
Junior Brian Jensen is coming off a strong performance at the Big 12
Conference Championships in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 11. Jensen finished fifth at the meet, the highest finish by a Jayhawk in a conference meet in more than 14 years. The men's team finished sixth.
Jensen said that he hoped the team would finish no worse than fourth. The top two teams automatically qualify for the national meet, but teams finishing third or fourth may grab one of the 13 wild-card spots.
"For myself, I would like to qual-
iny for nationals (if the team doesn't 't)," he said. "I can't say what position I want to finish because I don't know many of the runners I will face, but I would definitely say in the top 10."
The top four individual runners from teams that don't qualify for nationalists will earn invitations to the national meet.
Kansas cross country coach Gary Schwartz said that training was going well for the regional meet.
"The men have made progress in practice and meets," he said. "Our mental and physical preparation is very good."
This year, the men's field will consist of 29 teams, with Oklahoma State and Minnesota being the teams to beat.
"After them, I think there's a group of five or six teams that could upset one or both, and we are in that group," he said. "If we run the way we are capable of, we have a shot at
Heffernan said that the team had
nationals. We've gone into regionals before as dark horses and qualified."
The women's team has not had as much success this year. It finished a disappointing 12th in the Big 12 meet, but optimism is high for this weekend. Senior Diane Heffernan ran her best race of the season at the Big 12 meet. Her time of 18:51.2 is the team's best time of the year as was her 46th place finish.
simple goals for the weekend.
Schwartz acknowledged that this season had been a tough one for the women's team.
"We want closer times as a team and closer placement," she said. "We have a young group, so one of the biggest things for this weekend will be experience."
"We've improved the last two meets," he said. "I don't figure to finish high. To finish with our best race of the year is a worthy goal."